Insect Biology and Behavior

The insect world is full of unusual and complex behaviors. We focus mainly on the natural history of insect parasitoids like rhopalosomatid wasps who attack crickets and the tachinid flies who parasitize stink bugs. We investigate how they find hosts, lay eggs, and develop within their host. I'm also interested in how insects are able to rapidly learn and adapt new behaviors throughout their rather short lives to solve problems like finding a new source of food or avoiding a particular predator species.

A rare ectoparasitoid wasp of the family Rhopalosomatidae attached to its cricket host.

Student researchers

2019

Lance Miller - A New Host Record and Evidence of Cryptic Species in Nearctic Rhopalosoma